We’ve seen plenty of anecdotal evidence about that before (for example), but eHealthinsurance.com has done what I think is the first systematic study of rate increases, now that we’ve experienced about six months of our glorious new health care regime.

Americans buying health insurance outside the new Obamacare exchanges are being forced to swallow premiums up to 56 percent higher than before the health law took effect because insurers have jumped the cost to cover all the added features of the new Affordable Care Act.

According to a cost report from eHealthInsurance, a nationwide online private insurance exchange, families are paying an average of $663 a month and singles $274 a month, far more than before Obamacare kicked in. What’s more, to save money, most buyers are choosing the lowest level of coverage, the so-called “bronze” plans.

The firm provided the costs to Secrets through their new online price index, which gives the averages of what people are paying for insurance sold through their system. In California, for example, some families are paying a high of $2,604 a month and in New York, $1,845.

The shocking surge in prices show what Americans not in Obamacare or covered by their employer are paying as they seek lower premiums. Typically, they are not eligible for the subsidies Obamacare offers those with low incomes.

Before some apologist shouts “But they weren’t shopping on the exchange!”, it doesn’t matter. All health insurance has to meet the new lollipops- and-unicorns standards, whether it’s vended by Covered California, the federal exchange, or a private broker.

What this study reveals quite clearly, however, is the true cost of an Obamacare policy (and most are choosing the lowest, Bronze policy, per the article) without subsidies. This is the Left’s intended wealth transfer from the middle class to those lower on the economic scale laid bare before the world.

But, hey, don’t worry. I’m sure it’s only a “glitch.” After all, didn’t the president just promise, in his latest version of that ever-changing promise, that you might not be able to keep your doctor, but you’ll be able to save money?